The City of Smyrna recently held two public information meetings to gather more input on the master plan for the future North Cooper Lake Park. Steve Ciaccio with the City of Smyrna provided an overview of the current status of the park and the upcoming process.

The North Cooper Lake Park is a 52 acre property located near the end of North Cooper Lake Road and fairly close to the Silver Comet Trail access point. At 52 acres, this park is by far the largest park in Smyrna. However, due to the terrain, there are about 17 acres which would be considered developable. Beyond that, trails would appear to be the best use for the remainder of the property.

The two meetings allowed the citizens of Smyrna to ask questions and make suggestions regarding the property. It was a general consensus that a passive park made more sense given the limited access to the property. Ideas include a large open field, picnic areas, biking and walking trails.

After these two meetings, the master plan will be developed and then presented to the mayor and the city council in which the master plan will be adopted. The funding for the park comes from the bond financing from 2005. The monies allocated to the North Cooper Lake Park will only cover Phase I, which is anticipated as improvements to the access road and the creation of a large grassy field. Subsequent improvements would need to be funded through other means, perhaps a future bond deal.

Obviously, one of the neat aspects of the park’s future is the close proximity to the Silver Comet Trail and the consideration of putting bike trails on the park property.